Darkness.

	There existed nothing, here in this place.  Nothing
save for its own form, and sometimes it was not sure of
that.  It had known nothing but darkness and cold.  Time
itself ran differently, here:  every minute was an eternity
to it.

	It had been here a long, long time, an eternity of
eternities.  It thought that that was so, felt it on a
visceral level.  The experience was a novel one.  For much
of its time here, it had been unable to think to any extent,
confined to mindlessly thrashing against the endless
nothingness which threatened to devour it.

	No, not it.  Male.  Him.  He thought he remembered
that, now.  But it was hard; the memories were still
fleeting.  So much time had passed since the last time he'd
thought, or remembered, or even, really, felt.  So much
time, alone in the cold.

	But one thing he knew.  There was an absence that had
nothing to do with the infinite void that surrounded him. 
The barriers that had held him confined within this space
had faltered.  They were failing, and their ebb was enough
to allow him his thoughts.  Briefly, he raged against them,
lashing out blindly, directionlessly, with what power he
could muster.  It made no difference.

	Soon, by his measurement, he calmed.  The power that
held him here was failing.  He was not free yet, but it was
only a matter of time.  He could be patient.  He had spent a
thousand eternities, learning patience.

	And learning hate.


======================================================

FINAL FANTASY LEGACY
Knights of the Round

Started by Brian Stricklin

This chapter by Scott Schimmel 
Chapter Twenty-Four: Life and Death

======================================================


	"What do you think Genji meant?" Marcine pondered.

	Davin shrugged.  "About the Mask of Slethgra, or
whatever?"

	"Slydgirag," she corrected absently.

	Another shrug.  "I don't know.  I've never heard of
anything like--"  He fell silent as he exited the tomb, a
shadow falling across his face.

	"What's the matter?"  Syeira pushed past his
unresisting form, one hand dropping toward a knife, until
she saw what had captured his attention.  "Oh..."

	In the center of the holy grounds lay the charred
remains of a human being.  Some distance beyond, the old
priest who had greeted them lay crumpled at the base of a
prayer tree.  Marcine moved to his side like an automaton,
but the words of her healing spell died on her lips. 
"He's... not breathing," she reported, head bowed.

	"Siegvin."  Davin's voice was cold and bitter, his
hands clenched in impotent fury.  "He's killed them both,
because of us.  Because of the Heartstones."

	"It's not your fault."  Syeira clumsily attempted to
comfort the geomancer.  It wasn't exactly her forte, but
Marcine still seemed half in shock, and Jil, looking even
less comfortable than she felt herself, was busy attending
to a quietly sobbing Mika.  "Siegvin--"

	"Followed us here.  If we hadn't come--"

	She folded her arms sternly.  "Then he would've come
here anyway, eventually.  You said it yourself, he wants
those Heartstones.  At least he didn't get that."

	"Only because Genji stopped him."  Despite the words,
Davin deflated a little.  "That... it must have been the
girl... she was just a child, Syeira.  A child!"  He was
trembling, now, in rage or in sorrow -- or both.  "He's
going to pay for it.  All the deaths, all the pain he's
caused.  I swear I'll make him pay!"

	"Whoa, there."  Syeira held up her hands in a warding
gesture.  "Not that I don't agree with the sentiment, but I
think that guy's still a little out of our league.  Besides,
we can't go hunting for him when we've got other
commitments."  She nodded her head pointedly toward first
Marcine, then Mika.

	Eyes narrowed, he hissed, "Maybe you're right.  Maybe
it's not time yet.  But soon..."

	"Davin--"

	Whatever Syeira was going to reply was forgotten as
Marcine screamed and fell to the ground.

*

	Cold.

	Cold, dark, endless, eternal blue.  Sky.  Ocean. 
Everything.  A sudden ripple of black sending a tracery of
hairline cracks through the tranquillity.

	Worry.  Fear.  Sorrow.  Regret.  Duty.

	A flash of violet eyes -- here, gone.  Then blue,
marred by a black spiderweb.

	Trembling.  Falling.  Blue.  Black.  Sea.  Anguish.

	Blue receding, sinking beneath the sea, toward the
distant floor.  Slowly encroaching black, spreading,
struggling.

	Triumphant.

	The crystal shattering against the floor, far below the
surface of the sea.  Pain.  Apologies.

	A name.

	"Marcine?"

*

	"I'm okay," Marcine assured Davin as he steadied her.

	"What was that?" he asked solicitously.  "Were you hurt
fighting those dragons?  We could rest for a while..."

	Marcine shook her head.  "I healed those.  This was...
I'm not sure what this was.  It was almost like a
clairmantic vision, but I didn't cast any spell..."  She
frowned thoughtfully.

	"What did you see?" Mika asked curiously.

	The magician's voice was distant, distracted.  "The
sea.  It was under the sea..."

	"What was?"

	"Treasure?" Syeira asked hopefully.

	"A crystal."  Marcine blinked, her eyes snapping back
into focus.  "It was hanging in midair, and it was glowing
bright blue.  Then it... sort of screamed, and it was
wobbling."

	Syeira raised an eyebrow.  "Screamed?"

	"Does that sound familiar?" Mika asked Hiro.  The
samurai shook his head.

	"I think... it's something very important," Marcine
concluded.  "We... I think we should go there."

	"Below the sea?" Syeira asked incredulously.  "I can
see a few small problems with that idea.  I like to breathe,
for one."

	"There must be a way," Marcine insisted.  "The crystal
is down there, right?"

	"That doesn't necessarily mean anything.  Where would
we even start?"

	Davin grimaced.  "That's a good question."  He glanced
at Hiro.  "I don't suppose you have any suggestions?"

	Hiro scratched his head.  "Well... there's a university
in Byakko.  If anyone in Ryukin knows a way to do what
you're trying to do, it'd be one of the scholars there. 
I've never heard of anything like it, but..."

	Marcine smiled.  "Thanks, Hiro.  That sounds like a
good place to start."  She gestured, taking in the entire
group.  "I guess we might as well leave now, then?"

	"Sorry," Hiro said with an embarrassed grimace.  "I'd
go with you, but I've got to get this," he continued, waving
the ancient key to Genji's tomb, "back to the Emperor."

	"But Genji is gone," Mika pointed out.  "That key is
worthless now."

	Hiro nodded.  "It doesn't matter, though.  A samurai's
first duty is to his lord."  His solemn expression cracked
as he grinned apologetically.  "Besides, it was my family
that lost it, so I really need to do this.  Family honor is,
like, sacred."

	"We could go with him," Marcine blurted.  She blinked,
looking very surprised that she'd spoken.  "I mean," she
continued with determination, "it's not very far..."

	"I suppose," Davin agreed.  "Besides, maybe the Emperor
will know a way we could get underwater to this crystal
without drowning."

	"No.  You must not."

	Marcine and Mika momentarily froze at the intrusion of
the unfamiliar voice, but the other four didn't.  They
whirled into action, hands instinctively going for various
weapons.  Hiro proved fastest; his sword was drawn and
leveled while Davin's new blade was still clearing its
sheath.

	At the other end of Hiro's sword stood a young woman --
still a girl, really, and her raven hair was so short and
her body so lanky and rail-thin that Davin might have
mistaken her for a boy, were it not for the Ryukin-fashion
cherry-blossom-pink robe she wore.  She stood frozen in
place save for involuntary trembles, her eyes locked onto
the tip of the blade, which hovered inches from her throat.

	After a moment, Hiro withdrew the blade, though Davin
noticed he kept it ready.  "Who are you?"

	"And why are you telling us what to do?" Syeira added
brusquely.

	"This lowly one is called Shizuka."  The girl's answer
was soft, her speech unaccented and clear.  "She is of a
common family, which can claim no name."  She bent at the
waist, bowing very deeply to Hiro.  "She apologizes if in
her clumsiness she startled the honorable lord samurai and
his companions.  She begs the honorable lord samurai for his
forgiveness."

	"Um..."  Hiro had put his sword away during the speech,
and now stood looking, once again, awkward and embarrassed. 
"Sure.  No problem.  And, um, you don't have to be so
formal, you know."

	Shizuka straightened from her bow.  "As you wish, lord
samurai," she replied, only slightly less formally.

	"Wow," Mika whispered to Syeira.  "These people really
take this stuff seriously."

	"'Tis their way," Jil responded simply, having
overheard.

	"Yeah.  You could do with more manners yourself,"
Syeira shot at the young chemist, before returning her
attention to the new arrival.  "You still haven't answered
my question.  Why shouldn't we go back to Suzaku?"

	Calm violet eyes regarded the thief with interest. 
"Are you the one who was a student of Master Cid?"

	Syeira gaped; whatever she'd been expecting to hear,
that wasn't it.  "You know him?"

	"This one has never met the Master personally," she
answered with a slight shake of the head.  "But he once
performed a great service that helped her family.  When she
heard rumors that his student had come to Ryukin among the
other foreigners, she set out at once to find her.  She
hopes that she may be able to aid the Master's student, and
cancel a small part of the debt."

	Syeira took a moment to absorb that.  "Okay... you want
to help us because he helped your family."  Shizuka nodded. 
"Huh.  I knew Master Cid traveled a lot, but I never
realized he'd come here."

	"It was many years ago," Shizuka said demurely.  "This
one was not yet born."

	"Still... well, never mind.  I can always ask him about
it later, if it's important.  So, about Suzaku..."

	"On her journey, this one saw other foreigners.  The
Master's student did not seem to be among them, for they
were all men, and most of his students are women.  But she
heard that they are seeking other foreigners, and yours is
the only other such group north of Seiryu."

	"Kyle," Marcine whispered.  "Where are they now?" she
asked Shizuka.

	"In Suzaku.  Perhaps on their way here, by now."

	"So if we try to go back, we'll walk right into them,"
Syeira growled.

	"She's right, then."  Davin nodded to Shizuka.  "We
can't go back."

	"This one is pleased to have been of some small help."

	"You really don't have to be so formal," Davin assured
her.

	She smiled at him.  "This one apologizes.  Her
knowledge of your language is barely adequate," she answered
flawlessly.

	"Um... right."  Davin decided to let the matter drop,
for the moment.

	Mika nudged Marcine, who had been staring toward Suzaku
since Shizuka's explanation.  "Are you okay?"

	Startled out of her reverie, the young magician jumped
slightly.  "Oh!  Mika... yes, I'm all right.  I was just
thinking.  Kyle... I didn't expect him to follow me so far."

	"Ye're underestimatin' him, then."  Jil's voice was
something of a shock; she'd been so quiet, the girls had
almost forgotten her presence.  "That lad'd follow ye to the
ends o' the earth an' halfway through hell, if ye had a mind
t' go, I'd wager me ship on it."

	"I know," Marcine admitted, while briefly wondering
just how well the captain knew her brother.  "I just wish he
wouldn't."  Fists clenched tightly at her sides.  "Because
sooner of later, he'll have to catch up again..."

	"What will you do then?" Mika's voice was just a
whisper.

	"I... I don't know.  I couldn't... fight him.  Not
Kyle."

	"Ye couldn't go back with him, neither."

	"No."  She laced her fingers together nervously.  "No,
but... damn father.  Why did he have to send Kyle?"

	Jil raised an eyebrow.  "Would ye just strike down any
other dragoon o' the Church, then?"

	Marcine looked down at the ground, finding no answer to
that question.

*

	Beastmaster Stine traveled north, each stride more
determined than the last, as befitted the Citizens'
Champion.  "Truly," quoth he aloud, "this unfamiliar country
doth offer obstacles enough to vex even the great and
powerful Stine.  Yet I shall not allow these interruptions
to trouble me further, for nothing may impede the Citizens'
Justice."

	He might have gone on longer, if he hadn't run into a
patrol of samurai.  "Halt and state your purpose," one of
them commanded him.

	Though he was irked that his dramatic speech had been
interrupted, Stine recognized the attitude of the warrior. 
"Ho, brave and loyal watchman who guards this land!  Know
that you are in the presence of the mighty Beastmaster
Stine.  I am in search of a band of vile heretics that hath
fled to these far shores in a desperate, but, naturally,
completely futile attempt to escape the long arm of the
Citizens' Justice.  Pray, hast thou heard tell of the
miscreants?"

	Stine was slightly puzzled as the man drew back and
conferred with his companions in the unintelligible tongue
of the islands.  Soon enough, however, he stepped forward
once more.  "You may be on your way," he said curtly.

	The beastmaster smiled patiently.  "Alas, I see thou
hast not.  I thank thee all the same, good guardian of the
Ryukin.  Fear not; I, Stine, shall track them on mine own." 
With that, he set off again, resuming his ground-eating
pace.

	The band of samurai watched until he had disappeared up
the road.  "<Is it really safe to let him go, sir?>" the
youngest of their number asked.

	"<You know the law,>" the leader replied.  "<As long as
they cause no harm, madmen are to be left alone.>"

*

	"So," Davin asked succinctly, "now what?"

	Hiro shrugged.  "I've still got to go back to the
Emperor.  It'll be safe for me, though.  I don't think those
people know I'm with you."

	Shizuka nodded.  "Additionally, they have been captured
by the Emperor's guard and are being held in the palace,"
she volunteered.

	"My brother's a prisoner?"

	The Ryukin girl nodded solemnly.  "He caused quite a
disturbance, I understand.  He is a very strong warrior."

	"I should go see him--"

	"No."  Shizuka shook her head.  "It is not safe."

	"But why?  If he's in jail..."

	"Most of those in Suzaku are loyal to our lord Emperor,
long may he reign," Shizuka explained.  "Most, but not all. 
There are those in the court, and even among his samurai,
who might--"

	"Traitors?" Hiro interrupted.  "It can't be!  I've got
to warn him."

	"This one believes he knows, lord samurai.  But there
is little proof, and those at the court belong to powerful
and influential families."

	"Oh."  The samurai deflated slightly, but only for a
minute; then, his eyes narrowed.  "Say, how do you know so
much about the court, anyway?"

	"This one's father's sister has the honor of serving
the court," she replied.  "But there is no time for such
stories.  For their own safety, the foreigners must be on
their way."

	"To Byakko, then?" Davin asked.

	Marcine nodded.  "That seems like our best bet.  Could
you tell us how to get there?" she asked Hiro.

	"This one will guide you," Shizuka offered.  "She knows
of a hidden route, through the mountains.  It will speed
your journey by a full day or more."

	"No offense," Syeira started, "but how do we know we
can trust you?"

	"It is a matter of honor," Shizuka stated.

	Syeira shot a skeptical glance toward Hiro, and he
nodded.  "Nobody would lie about family honor," he said,
with firm conviction.

	"Yeah, well... I guess we don't have much of a choice
anyway."  The thief sighed.  "All right, lead on."

	"Good fortune t' ye," Jil added.

	"What?"  Davin turned.  "Aren't you coming with us?"

	Jil shook her head, just once.  "I'll be goin' with the
lad, here," she replied, patting Hiro on the shoulder. 
"Arr, don't ye look so downhearted.  I'll not be forgettin'
me promise.  I just want t' see if I can talk some sense
into that Kyle Cavanaugh."

	"Jil..." Marcine murmured, taken aback.

	"Could be he'll listen," she said with a brief shrug. 
"An' if not, well, we'll see what happens.  I'll be waitin'
for ye at Seiryu with me new ship, never fear.  So make sure
ye all come back safe," she finished gruffly, quickly
turning.  She mumbled something to Hiro.

	Davin opened his mouth to speak, but Syeira elbowed him
in the ribs.  "Don't."

	"Oof.  Hey..."

	The groups exchanged quick goodbyes, Hiro waving
vigorously the whole time.  Marcine and Davin watched for a
little while as Jil and Hiro started back down the winding
road to Suzaku.

	Mika rolled her eyes.  "Are we there yet?"

	"Don't start already...  We haven't even left," Syeira
pleaded.

	"I was just practicing."

	Syeira groaned.

*

	Pearl Lassenkirche drew to a halt.  Ahead of her, she
could see the end of the wide span of stone that served as a
natural bridge over the North Channel.  The sky was just
beginning to darken, so she could doubtlessly make her way
to a more comfortable campsite than the naked rock.

	On the other hand, she was still being followed.  She'd
set a deliberately slow pace from Tienne all the way here,
to this spur north of the Harshak mountain range, hoping to
learn more about her pursuer, but all she'd been able to
determine was that there was but a single woman.  She'd
considered confronting her outside of Achal, but caution was
still the best bet.  She was fairly certain that her stalker
didn't know she knew she was being followed.  That would be
quite an advantage, in the Great Russa Forest, and she
didn't intend to squander that advantage.

	By tomorrow, she would be into the forest.  Her pursuer
was several hours behind her, now, thanks to the lack of
concealment on the bridge.  That meant she would have to
press hard to catch up -- and if Pearl herself picked up her
pace, she might well lose her in the forest.  It would take
five or six days for Pearl to reach Master Cid's home --
safely, at any rate; she might get there sooner if she were
foolhardy enough to skirt Moogle territory.

	No, she decided.  She wouldn't concern herself with the
pursuit until the middle of the third day.  If she was still
being followed at that point, she'd take it as an indication
that her tracker was more capable than she'd thought.  And
she'd have to confront him then, before they got too close
to Cid's dwelling.  She wouldn't risk revealing him.

	But it should be easy enough.  In the forest, she held
all the cards.

*

	Syeira gasped as she heaved her body upward onto the
ledge.  "When you said 'hidden route,'" she gasped out,
glaring at Shizuka, "I didn't think you meant directly over
every single mountain."

	"We are very close now," she soothed, in response. 
"This is a good place to rest for the night."

	"I'd think, of all of us, you'd be the most used to
this sort of thing," Davin remarked.

	Nearby, Marcine moaned softly, rolling over onto her
side.  "I think I could fall asleep right now."

	"That makes two of us," Syeira agreed.

	Mika grinned.  "I'm not tired at all!"

	"That's because Davin's been carrying you from the base
of the mountain," the thief snarled.

	"Yeah, well, he's not tired, either, so there!"

	"What did I ever do to deserve this?"

	"Well," Davin mentioned, not bothering to hide his wide
grin, "you were a thief, for starters..."

	"Very funny."

	"Still," Mika mused, "it's kind of funny that we're
going so high up so we can find a way to go down deep
underwater."

	"I think I'd rather have taken the slow route to
Byakko," Marcine agreed.

	"We are not going to Byakko," Shizuka told them. 
"There is no need."

	"...What?"

	"This one knows of a better way.  Deep in these
mountains is hidden the Mirror of the Sun Goddess.  The
Mirror will surely enable you to reach your destination."

	Davin glanced at her curiously.  "Mirror of the Sun
Goddess?  What are you talking about?"

	"It was once revered by the people of Ryukin as a
symbol of the Goddess' power," Shizuka explained.  "That was
long ago, when more people remembered the old ways and
venerated the old gods.  Now, they are often forgotten,
perhaps paid lip service at certain festivals -- but they
are no myths.  Their power was very real, and the Mirror
holds some of that power."

	"Well..." Marcine begun skeptically.  "If you think
it'll help... I guess we're close enough now that we might
as well take a look at this mirror."

	"You will not regret it," the Ryukin girl promised. 
"This one feels the Goddess will favor you."

	"That's probably not supposed to make me feel uneasy,"
Marcine sighed, looking up at the distant mountain peak. 
"But it does."

*

	"I wish they could've come with us, or at least waited
for us," Hiro said as he and Jil walked the streets of
Suzaku.

	"Aye," the captain agreed, "'tis always hard t' be
leaving friends."

	"I guess you know a lot about that.  I mean, always
sailing from one port to another, and everything," he added,
conscious of his social gaffe.

	Jil laughed, but quickly sobered.  "Aye, that I do,
lad."

	"If you don't mind my asking... does it ever get any
easier?"

	Jil favored him with a measuring gaze, then shrugged. 
"Nay."

	"That's what I thought."  The young samurai sighed as
he ushered her into the palace gates.

	On the roof of a nearby building, another figure
lurked, following their progress with some interest, though
he could not truly be said to be watching them.  "Only the
woman is here?" Siegvin mused.  "They are wiser than I
thought."

	Briefly, he considered going after the captain, but he
quickly discarded that notion.  The girl was the important
one, and time was of the essence.

	A minute later, Siegvin walked through the gates of
Suzaku toward Genji's tomb, leaving five fewer people in the
city.  Himself, and the four samurai who had, before he had
slaughtered them, been charged with guarding the gate.

*

	The sky was very clear here, as it was in the
wilderness back home, Davin thought.  But the stars looked
slightly different.  Maybe it was just his imagination. 
"Me, homesick?" he muttered to himself.  "Yeah, right."  It
was a ludicrous notion, considering how widely he'd
traveled.  And yet...

	"Big brother?"

	He turned his head, arching an eyebrow at Mika.  "You
should get some sleep.  We leave early tomorrow."

	"So we can be there by midday," Mika unconsciously
parroted Shizuka.  "I know.  But I couldn't sleep yet."

	He shrugged.  "All right, then.  But you can't stay out
here too long, okay?"

	"Okay," she chirped agreeably.  "Did you see anything
yet?"

	"Only the stars."  He smiled, gazing upward again. 
"Maybe Shizuka was right.  There doesn't seem to be any need
to keep watch."

	"What do you think about her?" the young girl asked
curiously.

	Davin took his time about answering.  "She's kind of
strange," he finally said, stroking his chin.  "And the way
she talks... well, at least it's not as bad as when she
first introduced herself, but I wish she'd relax a little
more.  It's so formal.  Aside from that, though... she seems
to honestly want to help, but I don't know her well enough
to say."

	Mika nodded philosophically.  "I just wondered.  How
old do you think she is?"

	"Older than you, but only by a few years," he answered
after a little more thought.  "It's hard to tell, though."

	"Mmm.  You're probably right."

	"Why do you ask?"

	"Oh, no reason."

	"All right.  You don't have to tell me if you don't
want to."

	She smiled ruefully, digging at the ground with her
toe.  "I just thought it might be nice to know someone else
who's around my age."  She sat down beside him, looking up
at the night sky.  

	"Do you think I might have a sister?" she asked, much
later.

	Davin blinked.  "I guess it's possible," he said
slowly.

	"I wonder what she'd be like."

	"Nothing like you, if the rest of the world is lucky,"
he teased, with a broad grin.

	"You're SO mean," she declared, glaring at him.  But
her lips twitched, forming a tiny, fleeting half-smile.

	"Mika," he said solemnly.  "I know we've kind of had
other things on our minds lately, but I haven't forgotten
about your parents.  We'll find them."

	"I know."

	"I just wanted you to know that."

	"I know," she repeated, reaching over to hug him. 
"Thanks, big brother."  She yawned.  "I think I'll go to
sleep now."

	Tenderly, he smiled at her.  "Good idea.  Pleasant
dreams, Mika."

	And among the bedrolls, another figure quietly closed
her eyes and pretended to be sleeping.

*

	Seven steps.  Quarter turn.  Nine steps.  Quarter turn. 
Seven steps...

	"Really, sir," Martin said.  "You might as well relax. 
We won't get out of here until they want us out."

	"Unless you really are going to destroy the palace,"
Reill chipped in.  Kyle threw him a dirty look, and he
shrugged.  "I'm just saying..."

	"There must be another way," Kyle insisted, coming to
the end of nine more steps.

	"I doubt it," Cheney replied.  "The Ryukin know quite a
bit about prisons.  They've got some interesting torture
methods, too, for the more recalcitrant prisoners."

	"Barbarians."

	Cheney shrugged.  "If it's any consolation, I think
we've got them beat.  As far as I know, they don't entomb
their criminals in stone."

	Kyle whirled on Cheney.  "Are you trying to make me
angry?"

	"I'm trying to make you stop that incessant pacing," he
said levelly.  "I see it worked."

	Huffing, Kyle sank down onto the floor.  "I don't know
why you have to keep bringing all these things up."  Cheney
only shrugged.  Kyle glanced at the other two recruits, who
suddenly developed an interest in the architecture of the
cell's ceiling.  He sighed.  "Has everyone gone crazy?"

	"We're in good company, sir," Martin said, grinning.

	"That's not funny."

	"No, Captain," Reill agreed.  The effect was spoiled
somewhat by his giggling.

	"I don't believe this," Kyle declared, raising his eyes
in silent entreaty to the heavens.

	"Aye, 'tis a sudden reversal of fortune, 'twould seem."

	Kyle's jaw dropped open in shock.  "Jil Fallensand?"

	"Hello to you, too," she said sardonically.

	"What are you doing here?" he marveled.  "Are you
really with the-- with Marcine?"

	Jil nodded.  "I was.  I'll be goin' back t' Seiryu now,
though.  But a friend told me ye were here, an' seein' as
'twas on me way..."

	"What--"  Kyle licked his suddenly dry lips.  "Did
Marcine say... anything?"

	"Many a thing, t' be sure.  An' I want t' ask ye
something, Kyle Cavanaugh."

	"What's that?"  He was dimly aware of the other three
watching with interest, and felt slightly self-conscious
because of it.  But there was nothing he could do about that
in this cell.

	"Are ye still plannin' t' hunt down Marcine?"

	The answer didn't come as easily as it once had, but,
slowly, Kyle nodded.  "I... need to talk to her.  To ask her
some questions."

	"Aye.  Tell me, lad, what will ye do once ye have?"

	He remained silent for a long moment.  "That depends on
her answers."

	With a single nod, Jil turned.  "Thanks.  'Twas all I
wanted t' ask ye."

	"Hey, wait--"

	Heedless of the Dragoon captain, Jil Fallensand hurried
along the corridor, heading back the way she'd come.

	"What was that all about?" Kyle asked, dazed.

	Cheney absently scratched his head.  "I expect we'll
find out soon enough, one way or the other."

*

	Marcine stepped gingerly into the cave, casting an awed
stare around the cavernous vault.  Luminescent lichen and
tiny shards of crystal embedded in the walls shed a pallid
light, allowing her to see to an extent, but the ceiling was
lost in blackness overhead.  The floor was smooth,
surprisingly so if this was a natural formation, and shaped
like a shallow bowl; in the center, she could make out the
glass-like surface of a pool of water.  "This is..."

	"Our destination."  Shizuka entered behind her.  "It is
said that the Sun Goddess once came to earth, and this cave
was her dwelling."

	"I don't see any mirrors here," Mika complained.

	The Ryukin girl chuckled softly in reply.  "It is
here," she assured the alchemist, stepping forward to the
edge of the calm pool.  "It is hidden, sealed away from
those who might misuse it, but this one is the key."

	"Is the--"  Davin got no further before the group's
erstwhile guide held up a hand.

	"Please remain silent.  This one must conduct the
ritual."  He nodded, and she raised her arms overhead,
facing the pool.  The low, singsong chant she began echoed
in the cavern, creating its own harmony.

~ Spirits, now attend, and mark:
~ You monsters lurking in the dark,
~ Creatures who embrace Night's power,
~ Demons that men's souls devour --
~ All burn to ash before Her might,
~ For Dark things cannot stand the Light.

	"Amaterasu!" she called, loud and clear, almost
snapping the name.

	For a moment there was stillness, while the last echoes
of Shizuka's voice hung in the air.  Then the silence
returned, and with it, a warm golden radiance began to shine
from within the pool.  With a soft whispering sound, the
waters rolled aside, and from the center of the crater rose
a small object, a solid hemisphere of gold whose flat end
was polished to a bright sheen.

	Marcine gasped.  "That's... it looks like a Guardian
Egg," she stammered.  "Or half of one, anyway.  And that
song..."

	"Maybe the Sun Goddess used to answer."  Syeira glanced
toward Shizuka for confirmation.

	"This one does not know.  The Mirror is very ancient,
however."  As she spoke, the hemisphere floated across the
cavern to her outstretched hands.

	"So that thing can get us under the sea?" Davin asked
skeptically.

	"It can take us anywhere."  Shizuka held the Mirror
high, closing her eyes in concentration.  "If this one has
the will..."

	A brilliant beam of blue-white light bisected the
cavern, focusing slowly to a point near the edge of the
pool, just in front of Shizuka.  Then, suddenly, with a
sound like a sheet of metal being torn apart, it expanded
into a glowing rectangle the size of a large man.  It stood,
a rift in the fabric of space, its edges now solid, now
blurred as the eyes refused to properly focus upon it.  It
hummed quietly, just at the edge of hearing.

	"The sea shrine," the Ryukin girl breathed -- half
explanation, half command.  The portal pulsed as she took a
step toward it.

	"Wait," Davin interrupted.  Shizuka turned, regarding
him with a curious gaze.  "Marcine's vision showed danger,
right?"

	"Well, not exactly..." the magician demurred.

	"But there could be monsters, or something.  I'll go
first."

	Syeira smirked.  "Our hero," she murmured
sarcastically.  Davin flushed slightly -- and so, she was
amused to see, did Marcine.  Without another word, the young
geomancer hurried into the light.  The others were quick to
follow.

*

	Siegvin permitted himself a malevolent chuckle as he
regarded the glowing gate.  "Clever girl.  So you've managed
to gain entry to that place.  Well, it's dead now.  All
you've managed to do is find yourself a fitting grave."  The
fallen Sleeper stepped forward into the light.

	An instant later, a robed man cursed as he stumbled
into the cavern.  He was too late.  Now he had no choice but
to follow, and probably to reveal himself.  The sick
certainty that his intervention was necessary settled into
his stomach like a brick.

*

	"I want you to rearize this," the emperor said sternly,
shaking an admonishing finger at Kyle.  "The onry reason I
am retting you go is that this vely upstanding woman speaks
well of you.  Do you undelstand?"

	Kyle nodded wearily.  "I understand.  Thanks again,
Jil."  The last, one might have noted, was said with a touch
of sarcasm.

	Not that the titular ruler of the Ryukin Isles noticed. 
"Vely well.  As a favor to her, I shall lelease you.  But
you must go with her to Seiryu immediatery, and do not cause
any tlouble while you are here.  You must plomise this
thing.  Othelwise you will find that you are not forgiven so
easiry!  Do you undelstand?"

	"I understand," Kyle said, for what seemed like the
hundredth time.  The emperor was, it seemed, as good at
chewing people out as any drill sergeant he'd ever known. 
But that accent...

	"Good!  You may go now.  I do not wish to see you
again!"  He beckoned.  "Hiro, you will go with them to
Seiryu," he instructed.  "Be celtain that they wirr forrow
their agleement."

	"Yes, Emperor," the young man exclaimed, almost
tripping over his own feet as he scrambled to join Jil and
the dragoons in front of the throne and bow to the emperor
all at once.  Reill stifled a chuckle, but Kyle wasn't
laughing; the boy might not hold himself very well, but
there was something about him... Kyle's instincts screamed
that he was dangerous.  "Hi," he said, turning around and
grinning like an idiot.  "I'm Hiro!  Nice to meet you.  Hey,
do you like seafood?  'Cause I know this great place in
Seiryu, as long as we're going to be waiting there..."

	Then again, it was always possible that his instincts
were wrong.

*

	"Where are we?"  Marcine turned her head, taking in the
details of the cave, which was only slightly smaller than
the Sun Goddess' sanctum, but better lit -- though she saw
no source for the ambient light.  She watched as a bead of
water slowly gathered on a stalactite high overhead, then
fell through the air, spattering onto the marred crystal
that lay on the floor.  Just like the one from her vision at
the tomb, but its light was gone.  "I thought this was
supposed to be underwater."

	"It is," Shizuka informed her.  "The fact that there is
any water here at all indicates that the power this place
once held is fading."

	"We'd better not stay here long, then," Syeira said,
kneeling next to Marcine, who was examining the fallen
crystal closely.

	"Is something wrong?" Davin asked.

	"It's cracked," she said slowly, stretching her hand
toward the fracture, "but it doesn't look like it was the
fall that caused this."

	Davin said something in reply, but she didn't hear the
words; at that moment, her fingertips brushed the surface of
the crystal, tracing the smooth edges of the scar, and a
panoply of images and sensations poured into her mind.  She
gasped, reeling beneath the sudden, senseless onslaught, but
she found herself unable to break the contact.  Eyes wide,
she threw her head back and--

	"Marcine!"  Davin was shaking her, and he was not being
terribly gentle about it.  She blinked, stuttering an
incoherent protest, and he stopped, heaving a sigh of
relief.  "Thank the Gods... what happened?"

	"I--"  Marcine shook her head, trying to clear it. 
"I'm all right, I think..."  The memories were beginning to
fade, and she scrambled to try to make sense of the
impressions that remained.  "This is -- was -- the Goddess
of Purity's prison.  Where she sealed herself.  But
something feels familiar about it..."

	"The Goddess?"  Syeira studied the crystal with
newfound respect.  "Then she's either dead, or--"

	"Free," Marcine stated.  "But... I don't think it was
by choice."

	"Does that mean the other Gods... no, we'd know if they
were all loose, right?"

	Davin nodded to the thief.  "We would.  Because if they
were, then Daravon -- or whatever it is they're really
sealing -- would be, too."  He paused frowning.  "But if the
seal is starting to fail..."

	"Shiva!" Marcine suddenly cried out.

	Mika blinked.  "Huh?"

	"Shiva is the Goddess of Purity!  That's where I felt
it before.  When I--"  She paused, horror-struck.  "I Called
her... I broke the seal?"

	"We didn't have a choice," Syeira began.  "And you
didn't know that--"

	Suddenly, Shizuka's head snapped up.  "Careful! 
Someone is--"

	"GRAVITY WAVE!"

	The Ryukin girl was out of the path of the arc of
crushing amethyst force, and Syeira, though barely
forewarned, still managed to throw herself to one side with
inhuman speed, rolling up into a defensive crouch.  The
others were not so fortunate.  Marcine, who had just begun
to rise, was thrown back to the ground with bone-jarring
force.  Davin staggered under the assault, but somehow
forced himself to stand his ground.  Mike, both the closest
to Siegvin and completely unprepared for the attack, never
stood a chance; overwhelmed by the wave of pressure
full-force, she crumpled to the ground, unconscious even
before she could cry out.

	"Mika!"

	"Worry about yourself, whelp," the masked warrior
sneered as he deliberately walked forward, ignoring the
cowering Shizuka.  "The child is of no consequence to me.  I
may even allow her to live."  His cold metal mask gleamed
impassively in the soft light as he raised his sword,
chuckling quietly.  "No doubt that would be fitting
punishment for her interference:  to outlive the rest you,
knowing she could do nothing to prevent your deaths."

	"Source of all life," said a quiet voice from behind,
"bend your will toward destruction.  Flood!"

	With a clap like thunder, a wall of water coalesced out
of thin air, crashing down upon the cloaked figure.  Siegvin
whirled where he stood, Ashura's blade already flashing
through the air to meet the hungry torrent.  Incredibly, the
wave shattered against the sword, reduced to a harmless
spray of droplets.  "Almost, girl," he grated savagely. 
"Almost I underestimated you.  Sadly," he concluded as he
spun and neatly parried Syeira's Di-Aero spell in the same
manner, "your magic is weak.  It cannot save you."

	"You who dwell in darkness, you who command the
primordial chaos, you who lie in wait to rise again..." a
male voice chanted.

	"What?"  Siegvin began to turn, the blood-red sword
raised high.  Liquid black lightning danced along its blade
as the fallen one gathered his energy to make another
assault.

	The brown-robed figure smiled slightly and calmly
continued his invocation.  "Add your will to my own, grant
your power to my hand, that together we may extinguish the
light of hope.  Unholy!"

	A high-pitched, cackling, cacophony of shrieks answered
his words first; a moment later, a cascade of crackling
ebony energy crashed down onto the masked warrior.  Marcine
caught a brief glimpse as he fell to the ground, Ashura's
blade unable to protect him from this magic; then, the
relentless flow of energy spilled over Siegvin's prone form,
hiding him from view.

	Marcine finished weaving a Cure spell to heal Davin at
the same time as the most recent interloper collapsed to his
hands and knees, spent.  He still managed a weak, mocking
laugh.  "I see--"  He coughed spasmodically; when he
recovered, he continued.  "I see that was not too weak for
you, ancient one."  His eyes met Marcine's, and she
instinctually shrunk away from something within them.  "His
Legacy--"

	The column of hell-spawned energy disappeared all at
once, as though suddenly cut off at its source, and the
Manakyr paled.  A battered form forced itself to its feet. 
Siegvin's sword still shone with coruscating energy. 
"Impossible," the mage stammered.

	"Death... Wave."  The sword described an arc in the
air, and the blackness leapt -- that was the only word to
describe it -- toward the unfortunate Manakyr agent.  As it
passed through him, the blood drained from his face, his
eyes and mouth opened wide.  Without any visible wound, he
fall slowly to the ground, arms and legs no longer
supporting his weight.  Before Marcine's horrified eyes, his
flesh began to melt away.  "Insect," the swordsman murmured. 
"Yet he held that power..."

	Then, suddenly, Davin was upon him, slashing viciously
with his radiant sword.  The masked warrior, slowed by his
injury, barely parried in time, while Davin slapped aside
his attempt at a counterstrike with almost contemptuous
ease.  "Murderer," he growled, "that is the last life you
will ever take!"

	"You need a hundred more years of experience before you
could hope to best me, whelp," Siegvin taunted.  Despite his
boasting, however, the geomancer was holding his own.

	Syeira watched in frustration; the two were so close,
and their movements so unpredictable, that she dared not
risk casting a spell for fear of hurting Davin.  Marcine
must have come to the same conclusion -- she had slipped
around the battle and was kneeling by Mika's side, murmuring
another healing spell.  Syeira cast a flat gaze at Shizuka. 
"Got any more tricks you haven't told us about?" she asked,
as two of Ashura's blades clashed again, throwing sparks. 
"Because this would be the time to use them."

	"This one is a student of the shadow arts," the girl
admitted, taking the question at face value.  "Her bloodline
is one of the few to be able to use its mystic secrets. 
However, while this one's magic is powerful, it is also
impossible to control with precision."  Her eyes narrowed,
and one hand suddenly flashed forward, but the shuriken
missed Siegvin's blade hand by a hair, sailing by to clatter
against the cavern wall.  She frowned.  "This one must
choose more carefully which opportunities to take advantage
of."

	"Right, well, just thought I'd mention it," Syeira
said.  It wasn't Shizuka's fault, she knew, but she couldn't
help feeling annoyed.  That this girl could put one over on
her so easily...  She drew her daggers and decided she could
risk an indirect attack spell.  "Spirits of illusion, cloud
the restless mind.  Muddle!"

	Siegvin hesitated for a brief moment, and Davin's blade
slipped past his defenses, scoring a light wound into his
shoulder.  He pressed the attack furiously, hoping to
capitalize on his advantage, but the moment had passed, and
Siegvin deflected the frenzied thrusts, giving only a little
ground.  Another of Shizuka's shuriken bit into his leg, but
the warrior gave no sign that he noticed.

	Syeira sighed; had it been her spell that had caused
the moment's pause?  Or was it just a coincidence?  Either
way, it hadn't been nearly as effective as it normally was. 
She should have expected him to have a will strong enough to
resist such spells, she belatedly realized.  Her Aero spells
were too risky, with Davin still in the fray -- one
unexpected motion, and she'd end up striking him instead of
their opponent.  There was nothing she could...

	Wait.  There was one thing.  Smiling, she rifled
through her pouch, looking for that one thing.  There -- a
small square of parchment, folded many times over.  "I've
been saving this for you," she purred, though she knew
Siegvin couldn't possibly hear over the clamor of combat.

	Davin's shield turned aside a powerful slash.  He
winced; already, his arm was on fire, thanks to the
combination of the unaccustomed weight of the shield and
Siegvin's initial gravity attack.  Still, the masked man
wasn't in much better condition, and he was pushing the
murderous warrior hard enough that he couldn't think about
using any of those deadly sword techniques.  He ducked,
allowing his enemy's blade to scythe harmlessly overhead,
and thrust his own sword forward.  It was a weak attack, and
wouldn't have done much damage even if it had landed, but
its only intent was to break the momentum of Siegvin's own
attacks.  Instinctively, Davin reached out to the spirits,
hoping to turn the tide to his advantage.

	A presence filled with ancient, overpowering
malevolence brushed his mind.  Whatever this was, it had
driven away the ordinary spirits.  It was overpowering, like
Death's hand closing softly around his spine.  Davin froze
up just for a moment, instinctively recoiling.

	Siegvin took advantage of the lapse.  "Souls of men
seared by the darkness," he began, as a dark mist seeped up
from the floor.  "Draw the blood of life from the weak to
feed the strong!  Force Steal!"  The mists swirled and
roiled, thrusting forward to pierce Davin's body.  He
collapsed bonelessly as the masked swordsman stood,
revitalized.

	"Two can play at that game," Syeira declared, holding
the now-unfolded parchment before her.  She began to read
from it, feeling the upwelling energy that always marked the
first casting of a new magical spell.  "Souls of the
restless dead who thirst for ven--"

	"No!" Marcine shrieked desperately.  "Syeira, don't
cast that spell!"

	"What?  But..."

	"It's not what you think!" she emphasized, a tinge of
panic coloring her words.  "If you use that--"

	"Deal with the enemy first," Shizuka chastised, hurling
a handful of shuriken.  She watched, wide-eyed, as Siegvin's
blade flashed, cutting the projectiles out of the air.

	Laughter rang from behind the swordmaster's mask. 
"Child, even were I still weak, that would have taken no
effort.  And thanks to your friend, I am no longer weak. 
His life force is quite powerful."  He laughed again,
harshly.  "Or should I say, was quite powerful?"

	"Davin..." Marcine whimpered, turning pale.

	Siegvin took a slow, measured step toward her.  "You'll
join him soon enough.  Be proud, girl; you've been more
troublesome than any of the others since..."  He paused,
smiling to himself.  "A long time ago."

	"We're not dead yet," she declared tremulously, drawing
herself up.  "Together..."

	The fallen Sleeper took another step forward.  "You'll
not escape me this time, girl.  Make your peace with your
gods, because your life is measured in seconds."

	"Untamed ferocity..."

	As Marcine had hoped, Syeira caught on.  "Wind, come,
blow with limitless strength..."

	"Rage that burns within the heart..."  Shizuka's voice
joined the other two.

	"...Drawn from the limitless skies above..."

	"...Become a hurricane, drive my enemies far away..."

	"...Reveal yourself and consume my foes..."

	"Di-Bolt!"  The crash of thunder filled the cavern as
eldritch lightning leapt from Marcine's hand.

	"Di-Aero!"  A howling whirlwind drove toward Siegvin.

	"Flame!"  Sheets of crimson fire fell from the heavens,
blanketing Siegvin.

	"...Did we get him?" Syeira whispered a moment later.

	The tip of Siegvin's blade pierced the veil of flame. 
The warrior stepped forth, slightly scorched by the force of
the spells, but not hindered in the slightest.  He kept to
his deliberate pace, mocking them.

	"Guess not," the thief muttered.  "All right, then..." 
She repeated the chant.

	Shizuka changed tacks.  "Storm, loose your unbridled
fury at my command!  Tempest!"  The howling winds brought by
Syeira's spell suddenly doubled in ferocity, then redoubled,
creating a swirling maelstrom of unimaginable power.

	Marcine nodded firmly.  "Howling breath of winter,
freeze the blood!  Di-Ice!"  Her spell combined with the
others, lending the winds an arctic chill that would freeze
lesser foes where they stood.

	Blade flashing, Siegvin continued his slow march
forward, straight through the heart of the microcosmic
storm.  Marcine watched in disbelief -- surely even he
couldn't block this?

	Indeed, she saw as the artificial storm faded away, he
hadn't.  Some of the effect had gotten past his defense. 
But the wounds seemed minor, at best; he never slowed, never
faltered.  And she was already beginning to feel the strain
of casting so much powerful magic in such a short time.  It
must be even worse for Syeira, who wasn't as practiced...

	As though he sensed her misgivings, Siegvin spoke. 
"You've managed to hurt me, little magicians.  But can you
keep it up long enough for the wounds to become significant,
much less kill me?  I think not."  Another measured step
forward.

	He was toying with them, Marcine belatedly realized. 
He hadn't even used his sword techniques.  He was absolutely
certain of his victory.  And he was right -- their magic was
too weak to be more than an annoyance.

	But... there was something he didn't know about, she
realized as he came ever closer, blocking the minor spells
and missiles Syeira and Shizuka continued to hurl.  The
Guardian Egg Pearl had given her.  She'd hoped to learn more
about it before trying to perform the Calling, but... if she
didn't...  She reached for the green orb, where it had been
safely secreted away.

	Then she gasped as Siegvin's body blurred.  Almost
before she could react, he was striking at her, a powerful
crosswise cut that would split her in half.  "Surprise," he
murmured.  She could dimly hear Syeira's muffled exclamation
as the blade whistled toward her.

	The magician clumsily held out her staff.  The
blood-red blade taken from Ashura met the slender gift of
Genji.  And the blade bounced away.

	Marcine had no time to marvel at her luck.  The masked
warrior used his momentum, driving his shoulder into her.  A
brief flare of pain blinded her momentarily as she landed
hard, her staff slipping from her limp fingers and rolling
out of her grasp.  Her eyes were involuntarily drawn above
her, to Siegvin's sword, raised for the final sweep.

	The world slowed; the blade's descent seemed to take
hours, while her body remained frozen, completely
unresponsive to her mind's panicked urgings.  In a moment,
it would reach her head...

	Time snapped back into place as Syeira's body struck
hers, tacking Marcine out of the way.  She rolled, noting in
her half-dazed state how Syeira's new bracers shone
brilliantly, granting her inhuman speed.  Speed enough to
push Marcine out of the way of the blow.

	But not quite enough to move herself as well.

	Still dazed, Marcine watched with horrified eyes as
Syeira's head landed a few feet from her body with a dull
thud.  The noise echoed inside her head, creeping
sickeningly along her spine until it found its resting place
in her stomach.  She gasped, suddenly as winded as if she'd
been punched in the gut, unable to tear her eyes away from
the gruesome spectacle.

	"Futile," Siegvin snorted.

~ Spirits, now attend, and mark:
~ You monsters lurking in the...

	Siegvin whirled toward Shizuka's voice.  "GUNGNIR
SWORD!" he bellowed, hurling the weapon toward the ninja
girl.  It flew straight and true for her heart, and would
have impaled her if she had not been holding the Mirror
before her.  She cried out in dismay as the artifact
shattered into a shower of gold dust, sending erratic bursts
of bluish light strobing through the cave.  

	"You won't escape me.  And now," he declared, returning
his attention to Marcine even as his sword returned to its
master's hand, "I believe we have some unfinished business
to attend to."  He bowed slightly to her, mockingly gallant.

	As the deadly blade swung upward again, Marcine racked
her brain for a spell that might help her.  None of them
seemed adequate against a threat such as Siegvin.  Refusing
to give up, she redoubled her efforts, reaching blindly for
the magic.

	The blade reached its apogee and began to descend.

	Marcine unexpectedly found the magic -- felt it, all at
once, rising from some untapped well within her, exactly as
it had at Genji's tomb.  Its glow surrounded her with the
hue of burnished gold.  Time seemed to slow down all around
her as she basked in its warm embrace.  Shizuka looked still
as a statue.  Siegvin's motions were glacial.  She herself
couldn't move; the air might as well have been steel, for
all the progress her body could make through it.  Was this
what it felt like, just before you died?

	The words rose of their own accord.  "Seraphic Beacon,"
she whispered.  They continued from there, spilling out
rapidly and involuntarily.  She could barely follow what she
was chanting; it reminded her of the first casting of a new
spell, but infinitely more so.  The blade inched downwards
as she continued her automatic recitation.  "From thy
eternal slumber I call to thee!  Avatar of the elements, I
summon thee!  Awaken, Tritoch!  Awaken, Herald of the Three! 
In the name of the Manakyr, I conjure thee!  By storm, by
flame, and by frost, let all behold your infinite power!"

	A Calling, she dimly realized.  But...

	With none of the spectacle that normally accompanied a
Calling, the figure of a bird-winged dragon appeared. 
Marcine found herself twenty yards away from Siegvin, with
the Guardian between them, yet she'd felt no sensation of
motion.  And she and the others were obviously still in the
undersea shrine, not removed to whatever place a Caller and
her companions normally were sent when the Guardians
arrived.

	The dragon -- Tritoch, her memory supplied -- wasn't
doing anything that looked remotely like an attack, either;
it simply hovered in place, regarding Siegvin with sorrowful
sapphire eyes.  "Again?" it asked, its voice like a
marshmallow dipped in honey.

	"You!"  Marcine would have sworn that Siegvin's voice
was tinged with fear.  "You can't be here--"

	The great beast regarded the dark warrior calmly for a
long moment.  "I think we will discuss this elsewhere," it
stated simply.

	"No!  Not when--"

	Then, suddenly, both he and Tritoch were gone --
removed, perhaps, to that plane where the Guardians normally
spirited their summoners.  The warm glow deserted Marcine as
abruptly as it had come, and she wavered on her feet as the
light faded.  She started to fall, but a pair of strong arms
caught her from behind.  "Davin," she murmured dreamily,
struggling against unconsciousness.  "You're... alive." 
Drawn and haggard as the geomancer looked, Marcine had never
been happier to see him.

	There was an unpleasant rumbling noise from somewhere
overhead.  "Maybe not for long," Davin commented, looking at
the ceiling in concern.

	"There," Shizuka called, pointing.  "The portal!"

	Unlike the gateway which had brought them here, this
one was misshapen -- both lopsided and not quite vertical. 
Instead of the slight wavering effect the previous one had
exhibited, this one twisted and writhed, constantly
contorting itself, occasionally throwing off another of its
strobes of light.  It looked almost like a living creature,
struggling against its bonds.  "Can we really use that?"
Davin inquired.

	"The ritual was incomplete," Shizuka acknowledged, "but
if we wish to escape a watery grave..."  Another rumble from
overhead punctuated her warning.

	"Good point."

	"Take Mika," Marcine said.  "I can make it."

	"Are you sure?"  He didn't argue, though, quickly
stooping to pick up the girl's slack form.

	Marcine nodded and tried not to wobble too obviously. 
"What are you doing?" she asked the ninja, who had moved to
kneel next to Syeira's body.

	"This one has failed to protect the Master's student,"
she said solemnly.  "But she will bear Syeira's body out of
this place, at least.  Go, quickly.  If the portal should
close..."

	Nodding, Marcine hobbled to the rippling blue energy
field and half-jumped, half-fell through it.  With a quick
glance for Shizuka, whose preparations were not yet
finished, Davin went through next, with Mika in his arms.

	Shizuka knelt on the stone floor for a moment longer,
as if in meditation, but finally she stood, carrying
Syeira's body and head.  "This one will not follow you yet,"
she whispered apologetically to the thief.  "There is
something she must do."  With that, she hurried through the
gateway.

	A heartbeat after she had passed the portal, the
cavern's ceiling caved in, and the sea rushed to reclaim its
domain.

*

	Marcine breathed a sigh of relief as Shizuka tumbled
through the portal.  She knew from experience how rough the
journey had been, this time, and she was slightly surprised
that they had all ended up in the same place.  The ninja
pitched to her knees as the portal behind her shimmered and
winked out of existence.

	Davin, meanwhile, had been looking around the forest
clearing in bewilderment.  "Where are we?"

	Marcine had unfolded a long blanket and, with Shizuka's
help, was laying out Syeira's body for the funereal rite. 
They lacked a true priest, of course, but that was a minor
detail.  At Davin's inquiry, she glanced over at the ninja. 
"Where did that portal lead?"

	"We are no longer in Ryukin.  Beyond that, this one
cannot say," she replied dully, not looking up from her
task.  "The ritual was incomplete, the destination unfixed."

	"Anywhere in the world...  I'm sorry we've gotten you
into this, Shizuka."  Marcine's eyes suddenly filled with
tears, despite her efforts to blink them back.  "Syeira..." 
Her voice cracked.  "I'm so sorry."  Davin's hand rested on
her shoulder, a small silent comfort, but she couldn't tear
her gaze from the corpse.

	"We'll stop him."  Davin's words rang hollow in his own
ears.

	"This one has failed," Shizuka repeated quietly.  "All
she can do now is bring word to Master Cid.  Until then, she
will go with you."

	"Jil!" Marcine exclaimed.  "She'll be waiting, and... I
need to tell her.  Tell her..."  A stream of sobs once more
interrupted her speech, but Davin did make out the word
"clairmancy."

	"Marcine, no... you're too tired to cast another
spell."

	The warning was too late, though; Marcine was already
mumbling a chant.  How she managed it in her emotional state
without misspeaking, Davin couldn't guess, but a tiny sphere
of yellow radiance burst forth from her hands a moment
later, quickly streaking away toward the horizon.  "She did
it," he murmured, amazed.

	"Don't know... if it worked," Marcine gasped out.  She
was pale, and shaking with the strain and the emotional
stress she'd endured.  "Feel... so..."  Her eyes drooped
closed, and without further ado, she slumped over in a dead
faint.

	His own limbs felt like lead, but Davin dragged another
blanket to cover the unconscious wizardess.  "...too much,"
he whispered to himself, forcing his body to follow his
will.  "It's too much..."

	"Big brother?" Mika murmured semi-incoherently, finally
stirring.  He turned around just in time to watch as her
eyes opened.  And he saw the blood drain from her face, her
lips part, and her eyes snap open wide in fright and shock
as they met Syeira's unseeing gaze.

******

Author's notes:

Normally, when I'm writing a chapter, I play to my greatest
strengths, characterization and dialogue.  This time around,
though, I wanted to write a chapter with a good bit of
action.  Hopefully I've succeeded in that regard.  This is
also the biggest single chapter I've written yet, but it was
rather fun.

A little bit of explanation is due, I suppose.  Shizuka is
an indulgence on my part -- a ninja in the Edge (FF4) vein. 
My idea was that her magic would be esoteric, unlike any of
the spells seen on the continent, and Edge's portfolio fit
that pretty well.  It would be powerful, but with a larger
area effect, near impossible to focus onto a single opponent
as Marcine's spells can be.  Her "formalized" speech pattern
is fairly easy -- she refers to herself as "this one" or
"she", rather than as "I", and she doesn't use contractions
very much.

Kyle's group, I didn't do as much with as I might have
liked.  (A brief fight scene as they and Jil, heading south,
meet Stine, heading north, was cut.)  We obviously needed
them out of jail, though.  Fortunately, Jil was there to
step in.  I admit to some bias in keeping Hiro around a
little bit longer, too. ^_^

Finally, Siegvin.  This was a fairly controversial scene
with my prereaders, but my reasoning is this:  Siegvin is
meant to be a Major Threat.  However, lately, it seems he's
been ineffective rather often against anything other than
faceless minions.  True, our heroes have had luck on their
side, and a few powerful friends.  But luck only goes so
far, and with Genji gone, and Siegvin remaining so close,
another confrontation in the near future was inevitable.  I
felt it would be pressing matters if he were to completely
fail yet again.  So he didn't.

Why Syeira specifically?  Partly to help nudge the Cid
subplot forward, and partly because I felt that more
character development would be sparked by her absence than
by any of the others... particularly for Mika, who has been
rather overshadowed and marginalized in recent chapters. 
Beheading might be a bit much, but I wanted it clear that
she was dead -- phoenix down won't help, as this is a step
beyond "mortal wound".  It's not entirely unheard of for
main characters to die in FF games, and, while this may come
across as sudden, I hope it's not gratuitous.

Many thanks to my prereaders, Kate, Phoebe, and Lurker, for
putting up with me. ^_^  Their comments greatly helped to
clarify the end of the large fight scene, and the minor
problems they caught are innumerable.

My background music for this episode:  Maki Mochida, "Best
Collection"; Dream Theater, "Scenes From a Memory"; Leonard
Cohen, "Songs of Love and Hate"; Belle and Sebastian, "If
You're Feeling Sinister".